Israel Part 3: Volunteering starts and trip to the Golan

Since my last post, much has been going on. After my stay at the hospital because of a stomach flu and recovery at my relative’s house in Mazkeret Batya, I made it back to my apartment - finally!! I was happy to see all of my friends and they were happy to see that I was feeling much better. That Friday night, we did a guys Shabbat dinner involving steaks, potatoes, and other tasty dishes. I used my mom/grandma’s recipe to make cucumber salad. I think it came out pretty well. The whole dinner was great and we enjoyed hanging out for a few hours.



Two days later (Sunday), our volunteering started. We were assigned volunteering placements based on where we were needed and what our interests were. This first week, I was assigned to a few places. The first of which was Ackim - soccer with handicapped adults. While they may have been handicapped, they didn’t play like it. Our job is to play against them to help them train as a team. They have really great enthusiasm for the game and always play hard. I had a fun time playing but felt like I would rather spend my time with kids.

Monday and Wednesday of that week, I volunteered at Ben Guryon Elementary School. We usually either sit in the classroom and help with whatever the teacher needs or pull kids out and work with them on English. The kids love having us there and always want to hang out with us. That being said, they are disrespectful to their teachers and rarely focus in class. This is something that bothers us as volunteers because we know that a classroom should not be like that and the students will not learn if they don’t listen to their teacher. We hope to be able to teach some of the kids to be respectful and pay attention. Despite this fact, we all enjoy spending time there.

I also volunteered at the Arab Kadima - a place for Arab children to go after school to do homework, play sports, and other various activities. I really like it there and am starting to build connections with the kids. They even give us food there!

Izy playing guitar at the Arab Kadima

Lastly, I volunteered at the Ramla Library - where children from the community come to do homework after school. We usually hang out in the kids area which has a bunch of tables to work at. When those with English homework arrive, we go over to their table and help them with anything they need

A highlight of this week, besides the fun volunteering, was going to Kosher McDonalds for the first time since my last Israel trip (about 5 years ago). At the time, I wasn’t keeping kosher and it was not as special. This time, I keep kosher and was very excited to go. My friend Ilana from Paris also keeps kosher and could not wait to have McDonalds. So we walked over to the Ramla mall and enjoyed our food like no other. I had a big mac with fries while Ilana had her favorite - chicken nuggets. Everything tasted as good as or better than what I remembered. We decided to make a tradition out of this by going every so often (usually when we have cravings).



This first week of volunteering also included me and a couple friends switching into a new Ulpan. We decided to join the other Oranim group in Ramla who were 3 months ahead of us. This Ulpan was definitely challenging as we skipped over a lot of material - but I was happy to be learning new things. My Hebrew is coming along well - to the point where I can make basic conversation and understand some of what the kids say to me. By the time my five months are over, I hope to be able to carry on a full conversation with an Israeli.

The following Friday, my roommate Ben and I were invited to a host family who lived near Ramla, in a small community. Everyone there was really nice and the food was great. They had three kids - one our age, one in high school, and one around elementary age. They also invited some of their kid’s friends over. All together, there were about 10 of us. Most of the kids spoke Hebrew to each other the whole night while the Mom tried to translate for us. While we definitely felt like outsiders, it was nice to get out of Ramla and eat some good food.

On Saturday, Ben and I headed over to Tel Aviv to hang out at the beach. It was a glorious day and it felt amazing to be there. The water was pretty cold but I still loved it. We got some lunch at Aroma - the Israeli Panera - and walked around the area. Before heading back, we both got some delicious gelato. I had a great time and am waiting for the next opportunity to go back.


Ben at the beach




Our second week of volunteering was a short one because we were going on a trip to the North from Wednesday to Thursday. My schedule this week was very similar to the previous one. The only difference was that I was assigned to go to a middle school named Idanim. At the middle school, we were given low level English kids and told to work with them in the library. The teachers usually don’t tell us anything in particular to work on so we just have to look through their books and find some assignments. For the second period, we went into an older English class. The kids there were very disrespectful and all the teacher would do is yell at them - which clearly wasn’t helping. I was given a student who had very low English but really wanted to learn. These are my favorite kinds of students because they actually try even though they are way behind. As a group of four, we had mixed feelings about the school but were happy to have helped some kids.

On Wednesday, we left for the North. We had to get to the meeting place at 6:50am. Not fun. We took the 2.5 to 3 hour bus ride up to the Golan Heights with a stop for breakfast. Our first activity was a hike near the Gilaboon stream - going through deserted villages, an old Syrian army emplacement, and waterfalls. It was a hike that I did on my last Israel trip, and that I really enjoyed doing again. We went down to the waterfall and some went swimming. We went into a little cave for a quick rest, and finished with a big uphill climb that took all of our energy to complete. The hike took about 3 to 4 hours total and we were all pretty exhausted and gross - a perfect time to go to a mall!!








We were exhausted

They took us to a local mall for lunch where I ate for the first time at Burger Ranch - the Israeli version of McDonalds. The food did not compare to Kosher McDonalds. We then moved on to Mount Ben Tal - a common tourist attraction where you learn about the battle for the Golan during the Yom Kippur war. We went into a bunker that was used during war time and enjoyed the great view.


Heading into the bunker


We went to our hotel and had some time to shower before dinner. After dinner, we did a little icebreaker activity with the other Oranim groups that were there. The rest of the night was our own free time and we had the option of going to hang out at a dance room that the hotel set up or just hang out. Most of us wound up outside talking.

Day two started with us going to Rosh Pina - one of the oldest Zionist settlements in Israel. We saw an old synagogue and some other sites. We then went to a local Kibbutz, right near the Syrian border and next to a military base. We listened as a security guy from America talked about how he is in charge of recognizing when missiles are launched and when an attack is coming. He then alerts the military and makes sure the Kibbutz is safe. Lunch was at another mall this day and I ate at Aroma (I talked about this place earlier) with some friends.



Next stop was the Banias Nature Reserve for a “nice walk” as our tour guide put it. It really was a nice walk and not even close to the hike we did the first day. Here is a quick summary of the Banias:

The Banias springs begin at the foot of Mount Hermon where the water rushes with great force though a canyon-like channel, losing 190 meters in altitude over the course of 3.5 kilometers to form the Banias waterfall, one of the most beautiful in Israel.
Nine kilometers further, the Hermon River meets the Dan River and the two flow into the Jordan River at an altitude of 80 meters above sea level.

We walked around the area and saw some amazing sites. It was a nice way to end the trip as we headed back South after the walk. I have many pictures of both hikes and can only include some on this blog but will post all of them on Facebook soon.





I am now in my third week of volunteering and things are starting to become routine. I have been given a very similar schedule for this week but plan to ask for some changes for next week. Both Purim and Pesach are coming up and I am interested to see what they are like in Israel. For the first time, “Next Year in Jerusalem” might come true!!!

Tu'Bishvat, a Jerusalem spot, and a joyous Shabbat

As you will find out later in this post, I recently became sick and spent some time in the local hospital. That and the fact that I was in Jerusalem for a few days without a computer has delayed this second post. I hope that you have not been sitting at you computer waiting for this because you would have wasted a lot of time.

Anyways, here it goes……….

(Continuing from Friday the 22nd)

On Fridays our group has no activities. For those of you that don’t know, in Israel, Friday kind of part of the weekend. While some people still work/go to school, Friday is the typical day off in addition to Saturday. This Friday, my friends and I ad no plans for Shabbat dinner – so we decided to make our own! We went to the Ramla Shuk (outdoor market) and bought some fruits, vegetables, meat, potatoes, etc.



We invited over our closest friends and everyone brought a different dish. We had challah, Israeli salad, schnitzel, and many other delicious foods. We all had a great time just being together and enjoying the food.



Saturday is a rest day like in the states but in Israel, everything is closed and there is nothing to do. So a few of my friends and I went over to the community sports court where we found some young children playing basketball and some older kids playing soccer (or futball). We played some basketball with the kids until the older ones challenged us to a game of soccer. Since the main sport in Israel is soccer, they play it all the time. We didn’t stand a chance. Eventually, a retired professional soccer player joined our team and we played some close games. It was really fun to hang out with some of the local kids.


On Sunday, our group started Ulpan (Hebrew lessons). I chose to start in the beginner Ulpan like most of the people in my group. I figured that I would not remember all the Hebrew that I had learned when I was young. It turns out that my memory returned quickly and that beginner was to easy for me. I decided to give it a few days before switching. After our first Ulpan lesson, our coordinator Nir took us to some of the volunteer places that we might end up in. We saw after school centers for both Arab and Jewish kids. The Arab center seemed to be nicer than the Jewish one even though they get less support from the community.


We have Mondays off of Ulpan because the teacher takes a class of her own. That night, we learned a little bit about Israeli symbols and what they mean to the country.


On Tuesday our group was invited to a community Tu’Bishvat ceremony with some people from city hall speaking, saying prayers and singing songs. After all that, we planted some trees in the garden area and had some typical Tu’Bishvat fruits and nuts. It was a fun event that was different than what we were used to for Tu’Bishvat but very interesting.


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Thursday was our group trip to JERUSALEM!!!!!!!!!!! This was a trip that every Oranim group in Israel went to. We got on a bus at 7:45am and headed to Jerusalem. Our day started with a stop at a great viewpoint of the city.



We moved on to a place called the peace forest where we planted trees for Tu’Bishvat (twice in one week!!!). We got in pairs and planted our trees. I planted with a friend named Judita (pronounced Yudita) from the Czech Republic. We named our tree Tubey in honor of Tu’Bishvat.



Our next stop was the old city where we had lunch in the Jewish quarter. Most of us ate at a falafel/shawarma/schnitzel combo place that was really good.



From there we headed to the City of David to walk through the tunnels that were built during David’s rule for an effective water system and eventually to be used as a military tactic. Some of us went through the water tunnel while others chose the dry one. I did the dry one because I did not bring a change of clothes or special shoes. It was really interesting to learn about the history of the tunnels and how they were used.

Our last stop of the day was back in the Old City at the Kotel. While I have been there before, I was so excited to get back and experience it again. I stopped to put on Tefillin and spent some time by myself at the wall.



A group of us had decided to spend some extra time in Jerusalem and booked a Youth Hostel for a couple nights. While it took us a really long time of searching with a heavy backpack on my back, we eventually found it. It was outside the Damascus gate – in the Arab area of town. Surprisingly, it was a really nice hostel that was comparable to a small hotel. There was a room of six girls and rooms of two and three for guys. We were all pretty happy with the accommodations. After a long time of searching for a restaurant recommended by a worker at the hostel, we gave up and headed for a main street with plenty of food places. I was starving at this point. We settled for a burger bar that was very tasty. I got some onion rings with my chicken burger and felt like I was eating at home for a short while. A few of us went to a coffee shop/bar next door while the rest went to Ben Yehuda Street to see what was going on. The coffee shop was amazing and perfect for a quiet and relaxing night. My friend Josh from home – who was my roommate in college for three years and is now at Yeshiva in Jerusalem – came to hang out with us and ended up being interrogated by my friends about his beliefs and spirituality. It was pretty funny



Shortly after that, we headed over to Ben Yehuda Street to meet up with the others and get some drinks. For those of you that don’t know, Ben Yehuda Street is a typical tourist location for bars, restaurants, and shopping. I was tired from the long day and eventually headed to the hostel for some sleep.



Friday was a pretty slow day with not much going on. We walked around the Arab quarter and spent a lot of time in the market where you can find anything from Menorahs to candy. I saw my friend Josh again who gave me a little tour before I went back to the hostel for some much needed rest. We had been told that if we needed a place for Shabbat dinner we could go to the Kotel right when Shabbat was starting and meet this guy who would set us up with a family. So we showered, got dressed, and headed over to the wall. Quick note – our shower was basically a shower head in the middle of the bathroom and I thought that was really funny. The Kotel on Friday night is an amazing sight. All of the orthodox men and yeshiva guys head over to do Kabbalat Shabbat and therefore the place is packed with praying men. It is truly Sababa (slang for cool). We got set up with a family and walked about 20 minutes uphill to their house. It was brutal. It turns out that most of the people there were American and some of them were from Columbus. On top of that, they knew the Rabbi at OSU Chabbad and one of the girls our age knew a friend of mine from school What a small world. The food was amazing – it reminded me of Chabbad. Afterwards we made the long walk back and I fell right to sleep.

On Saturdays, not much is open in Jerusalem because of Shabbat. However, the Arab markets and shops remain open. We spent the day walking around those areas and checking out the shops. We eventually climbed up to a rooftop overlooking the city, watched some kids do parkour, listened to our friend Izy play the guitar, and enjoyed the view. We were able to eat dinner at the heritage house – a Jewish youth hostel – but had to skip Havdalah to catch our bus back to Ramla. In a nutshell – we all had a great time in Jerusalem but were exhausted from the trip.

On Sunday I started the intermediate Ulpan because I found the beginners one a little too easy. My new teacher speaks entirely in Hebrew so it is definitely challenging. On Monday I went to sleep with a stomach ache, woke up around 1am and vomited 3 times over the course of a couple hours. My group coordinator took me to the local hospital and I spent the night in the emergency room. I was freezing cold and felt very weak. They gave me fluids and some medication as I fell asleep for the night. I woke up feeling better, but shaken up. I had a fever and a low blood pressure along with dizziness and weakness. They decided to keep me there for one more night. I was extremely bored with nothing to do but slept for a lot of the time. The nurses barely spoke English and didn’t make me feel to comfortable. There were a few med students who spoke English that helped me out a lot and made me feel like I was in good hands. I was released in the afternoon and went to my Mom’s cousin Carol’s house for some extra recovery time. I am writing this on Thursday and am going back to my apartment tonight. I am excited to see my friends and to be back at “home.”

If you are curious about who I live with, here is a picture of me with my roommates:



Jeff is on the far left. He is from San Diego and went to the University of Wisconsin.

To the right is Ben who was born in Cleveland, moved to Columbus, and now goes to OSU.

To the right again is Rachel who is from Annapolis, Maryland and went to Northwestern.

Yeah Big Ten!!!

Lastly is Falan (like Jimmy Fallon) who is from Boca Raton and went to Florida Atlantic University.

Also, here is a picture of Oranim Community Involvement 28 – Ramla (my group)



There have been a couple of fun things that we have done that I can’t remember when they happened and I have chosen to put them at the end. I saw Avatar finally! My personal analysis is that it didn’t live up to all the hype for me but that it was still a pretty good movie.



We went out to Tel Aviv and ate at a really nice Italian restaurant and then continued on to a cool espresso bar where I had the most amazing hot chocolate ever. We had a really nice waiter who loved Americans and gave us a free dessert. It was definitely one of the best times we have had so far and I’m sure there will be many more to come.

I apologize for the length of this post. I wanted to make sure that everyone is caught up with what I am doing.